It’s still Advent yet Christmas has already come everywhere. There are Christmas bazaars left and right. Malls, shops, restaurants and streets are gaily decorated with Christmas trinkets. Many homes are lit at night with a riot of colored lights and parols (Christmas lanterns). Trees in front of many institutions are suddenly aglow with either dancing or cascading lights. Christmas songs are played on the radio almost throughout the day. Many foodie programs on TV are featuring delicacies for Noche Buena. The glitz, the sparkle of Christmas has come!

It’s still Advent yet Christmas has already come everywhere. There are Christmas bazaars left and right. Malls, shops, restaurants and streets are gaily decorated with Christmas trinkets. Many homes are lit at night with a riot of colored lights and parols (Christmas lanterns). Trees in front of many institutions are suddenly aglow with either dancing or cascading lights. Christmas songs are played on the radio almost throughout the day. Many foodie programs on TV are featuring delicacies for Noche Buena. The glitz, the sparkle of Christmas has come! With all our senses already tweaked for the joy of Christmas, today’s Gospel swims against the current. The spotlight is on John the Baptist, a man living in the desert without any decent clothes, perhaps gaunt and smelly. The words that come out of him are grim and foreboding, reminding people of their sins. Ultimately, however, his message turns positive: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Mt. 3:2) Repentance means changing, which we dislike because it may mean turning around to go on the opposite direction of the journey. It entails the discomfort of having to face our own reality with great honesty, struggling against our mind sets, feelings and behavior, owning our responsibility, going out of our comfort zones and the like. It is unsettling. This is difficult because who or what guarantees that things will be better as a result of changing? A life lived close to God is the only real guarantee we have. This Advent season invites us to a journey of transformation. The tinsel and dazzle of Christmas decorations and parties do not make us ready to receive Christ anew. What we need is humble and contrite heart, which will allow us to understand and experience the true joy of Christ’s coming.

Lord, as we prepare for the birth of your Son and our Lord Jesus Christ, send us your grace, fill our hearts with your mercy and help us to change our life so that we may truly understand and embrace the essence of His coming. Amen.